3 Ways to Help Your Dog Beat the Heat

Now that we're deep into the dog days of summer, your pet, like us, is feeling the heat. Help him keep cool with these three products given the stamp of approval by WOOFipedia editors:

Freeze 'N Chew (free with the purchase of a $40 BFF Box through July 25)—We're having a heatwave—why not throw your dog a (frozen) bone? Just dip this plush toy in water, stuff it into a zip-seal bag, and freeze it for an hour, then voila! A frosty delight. The crinkly sound will keep your dog interested while the cold material will help cool your pet down (bonus: it helps ease the discomfort felt by teething puppies).

Ruffwear Swamp Cooler ($54.95)—This cooling vest is easy to use—simply soak it in water and put it on your dog, fastening it with a side buckle. During our test, on a moderately warm day (70º F), the vest continued chilling for about eight hours. The Swamp Cooler would be useful for all kinds of dogs, such as those who are heat-sensitive or for four-legged athletes.

FrostyBowlz (available in 14-, 28-, and 48-ounce sizes, $24.95 to $36.95)—For a hot dog on a summer day, a sip of cool water can be as refreshing as a frozen daiquiri is for a human. Unfortunately, when temperatures soar, even ice cubes in the dish melt too quickly to provide much relief. Billed as a “refrigerator for your pet’s water,” FrostyBowlz is the brainchild of an inventor whose finicky Poodle preferred dehydration to a tepid beverage. The product is a steel bowl nested on a steel plate; inside is a removable gel core that you place in your freezer overnight. It effectively kept water cool, but not ice cold, for about 12 hours. In a side-by-side comparison with her usual water bowl, our tester preferred to get her licks from the FrostyBowlz each time.